You're the GM: Which 5 Pistons would you keep?

I'm so out of the loop anyway. So I'll admit I have no working knowledge of this team now. I did see an interview about Villy trying to deflect his being thrown out v. Cavs. It seems this team is just disjointed, disinterested and just plain dissed. Joe D needs to either gets some brass ones and start over or leave.

Well, I disagree. Stuckey's just entering his physical prime right now. He should get better, but it's really all up to him. The physical tools are there, but I don't know how mentally tough he is.

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You Said it yourself.... I'm not sure you want to invest starter money on somebody who could very well be better suited to be a bench player. I have never questioned his million dollor skill set, I just worry about what tends to be his 10 cent brain. IF he ever got that worked out then he can be a great player in the league.... but.... will he?

Here's a good piece from the FreePress about who they'd keep and dump.

GONE:
Stuckey: He’s an average player who acts like he’s a superstar. Kuester is not a good coach and probably will be fired. But Stuckey has done nothing in this league to give him the right to lord over any coach. His supporters point to the fact that he has played well since he was reinserted into the lineup. I point to his first four years in the league and wonder which is the bigger sample size. Maybe he’ll blossom into a better player elsewhere, but he has insulted the Pistons franchise and their fans for the final time, in my book. But like Hamilton, I think he’ll return, especially if Joe Dumars returns. Dumars sees things in Stuckey I don’t.

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PROBABLY KEEP:
Daye: He needs to stop following the examples of Stuckey and Villanueva. He acts like Stuckey sometimes, in this weird belief that he has accomplished something in the NBA. He hasn’t. And he acts like Villanueva by camping out beyond the arc and not playing defense. Daye needs a bit of a wake-up call from Dumars or someone else. He has talent. But he needs to dedicate himself to getting better.

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CERTAINLY KEEP:
Greg Monroe

I won’t call him a "sacred cow," because that term got Stuckey thinking that he was Michael Jordan II.

Well, I disagree. Stuckey's just entering his physical prime right now. He should get better, but it's really all up to him. The physical tools are there, but I don't know how mentally tough he is.

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The problem is most great players start to turn the corner their 3rd year or at least show flashes of greatness. Rodney Stuckey has never done either. At his best, he's looked like nothing more than a decent starter on a terrible team. His ceiling is what? A smaller Corey Maggette? Tons of players have the physical tools to be great. It's not even necessarily the mental tools with Stuckey, it's the skills. He doesn't possess the skills of a great player. He is what he is. He needs to go. There is nothing easier to replace in the NBA than an average guard.

The problem is most great players start to turn the corner their 3rd year or at least show flashes of greatness. Rodney Stuckey has never done either. At his best, he's looked like nothing more than a decent starter on a terrible team. His ceiling is what? A smaller Corey Maggette? Tons of players have the physical tools to be great. It's not even necessarily the mental tools with Stuckey, it's the skills. He doesn't possess the skills of a great player. He is what he is. He needs to go. There is nothing easier to replace in the NBA than an average guard.

Stuckey is probably the best player on the team right now. You don't let your best player walk without a viable replacement in place. Stuckey is better than average.

I disagree with you on two parts. One, that Stuckey has never shown flashes of greatness before. That's exactly what he's done throughout his career: show flashes of elite play, but mirrored in much longer stretches of mediocrity. But this recent stretch he's been on is the only time that he's combined scoring and passing so well.

I also disagree with you on saying Stuckey has no skills. Stuckey is a great free throw shooter and great at getting to the foul line (a completely underrated skill), great at getting to the cup, and I believe he is a very good passer (he's been threading the needle on passes lately). It was always his decision making that was in question in the past, not his actual ability to pass the basketball.

Stuckey is probably the best player on the team right now. You don't let your best player walk without a viable replacement in place. Stuckey is better than average.

I disagree with you on two parts. One, that Stuckey has never shown flashes of greatness before. That's exactly what he's done throughout his career: show flashes of elite play, but mirrored in much longer stretches of mediocrity. But this recent stretch he's been on is the only time that he's combined scoring and passing so well.

I also disagree with you on saying Stuckey has no skills. Stuckey is a great free throw shooter and great at getting to the foul line (a completely underrated skill), great at getting to the cup, and I believe he is a very good passer (he's been threading the needle on passes lately). It was always his decision making that was in question in the past, not his actual ability to pass the basketball.

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Mostly, I agree. However, I want to add one fact: this kid has NEVER played on a stable team in the NBA. Instead, he's had to endure a ton of change, a ton of indecision, and a huge team-wide fall from grace with fossilized veterans holding onto the past with a rusty-iron grip. [pardon my mixed metaphors]. Who the hell knows what Stuckey could/would turn into on a franchise with stability and direction?

Stuckey is probably the best player on the team right now. You don't let your best player walk without a viable replacement in place. Stuckey is better than average.

I disagree with you on two parts. One, that Stuckey has never shown flashes of greatness before. That's exactly what he's done throughout his career: show flashes of elite play, but mirrored in much longer stretches of mediocrity. But this recent stretch he's been on is the only time that he's combined scoring and passing so well.

I also disagree with you on saying Stuckey has no skills. Stuckey is a great free throw shooter and great at getting to the foul line (a completely underrated skill), great at getting to the cup, and I believe he is a very good passer (he's been threading the needle on passes lately). It was always his decision making that was in question in the past, not his actual ability to pass the basketball.

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Being the best player on a bad team is tantamount to nothing if you aren't going to be a big help in the team doing forward.

Stuckey will never be great, he just doesn't have it in him. And he is replaceable. He's shown nothing to the contrary. His ability to get to the rim is nice, but this is the only year of his career where he's been even an average finisher. Likewise for his efficiency. And he's proven over and over he's not a PG.

EDIT: To say Stuckey will never be great because he doesn't have it in him is harsh. But there isn't anything to suggest that he's on that path. Literally nothing. He's a solid NBA starter, why can't that be enough?

You would think adding this young stud/teams best player/building block to the fossilized veterans (who won 59 games, played in the ECF and were the only team to beat the champions on their home floor the year before.) would help the veterans keep chugging along ala R Rondo and the Celtics.

While I agree with you, I just don't get the leap folks are making from him not being fired as the final whistle blew last night to the fact he will return next year. We have a new owner that I'm not sure how things will work legally... If Q is fired before the exchange of ownership is made I'm betting that Karen will have to pay the salary, while if its after the swap that the new owner picks up the tab. With the CBA situation such that it is.... I really don't think there is any hurry, if its like the NFL (and I'm only guessing here) then getting a new coach that sits in his office and does nothing isn't a high priority atm.

If I'm wrong and he is retained... you all have permission to throw rotten fruit at me though :D

While I agree with you, I just don't get the leap folks are making from him not being fired as the final whistle blew last night to the fact he will return next year. We have a new owner that I'm not sure how things will work legally... If Q is fired before the exchange of ownership is made I'm betting that Karen will have to pay the salary, while if its after the swap that the new owner picks up the tab. With the CBA situation such that it is.... I really don't think there is any hurry, if its like the NFL (and I'm only guessing here) then getting a new coach that sits in his office and does nothing isn't a high priority atm.

If I'm wrong and he is retained... you all have permission to throw rotten fruit at me though :D